Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1887-12-28
ORIENTAL JUGGLING FEAYS.
A Great Occidental Magician Says That
They are DelusiOns Of the Fancy.

From the Chicago Tribune
Most OF the wonderful feats attributed to the
Jugglers OF India and Japan existed only in the
Imagination OF the fellows who told about them,
SAID the magician Keller. 81 have seen everything
OF note in the juggling business that India, China
and japan can produce, and have never seen the
juggler yet who could throw ball OF Irvine in the
air TO form sort Of Jack and the bean-stak lad.
der, and then climb up out Of sight and pull the
string up after him, and stay up out Of sight until
companion fired pistol and brought him down
TO earth In shattered fragments, which presently
man again-I tell you honestly, never saw that
trick"
"That's curious too"
Eyes; for everybody has read Of it. Candily,
between you ana me, / do not believe it can be
DONE But I'll tell you clever trick I saw a lug.
gier In India do. 1t is called the basket trick.
The Juggler explained to the spectators that he
was going to XIII his little boy and asked them 10
choose spot on the turf in the open air where he
might perform the trick. He stationed himself AT
the CHOSEN spot, his apparatus being basket with
hinged lid, little boy, and q sharp sword. He
wore nothing but breechclout. The spectators
closed around in circle SO that no one could get
child in the basket. closed the lid, and muttered
an incarnation. Then he seized large white
cloth he had In readiness, threw one end over the
basket and fastened the other end to his waist by
tucking It down. under the breechcout, leaving a
portion hanging down below his knees Then he
drew his sword and plunged 1t through the basket.
man drew out the sword all dripping with blood.
Again and again he plunged the sword through
the basket, the childs screams growing fainter
and fainter until they ceased altogether The Jug
gler asked that the basket be examined. II was
opened and found empty. gleeful shout was
heard, and the company looking in the direction
on the limb OF an ADJACENT tree.
"Ihat trick puzzled me-" continued Mr.. Keller,
"0ut l determined 10 fathom It should 1t cost me
half my estate. l bought up the juggler-I paid
him two rupees about sly to show me how il was
done. Here's how: When the juggler is in the act
OF spreading the cloth over the basket the young.
ster slips out under cover Of the cloth, crawls
under the Juggler, grasps strap about the mans
waist, and draws himself up between the jugglers
legs The cloth hanging from the mans waist
hides the child. The child, of course is well
trained, and from his unsupported retreat, utters
the necessary piercing shrieEs at the proper mo-
ment concealed bit Of sponge saturated with
spectators rushed forward 10 look Into the basket
the boy slips from his hiding place, and chambers
up the nearest tree like squirrel"
Ibid you ever try the trick?"
"NO; 1t can only be done with the Indian lug
glers costume-the breechclput. Another clever
trick Of theirs was an artificial duck In bowl Of
water. The duck appeared and disappeared at
the Will OF the 1uggler, and swan around as if
alive. The secret OF the trick was the bottom OF
the bowl was pierced with a tiny hole through
which horse hair was passed, one end OF the hair
being attached TO the duck and the other held by
the Juggler. A heavy duck was first passed around
water, where 1t sank out OF sight by its own
weight. Apparently it Immediately rose to the
surface again, but it was really the light weight
duck manipulated by the horse hair that arose In
sight. Another fairly good trick was performed
with colored powdered sugar-red, white, black
yellow, green, and blue. The 1ugglar took aspoOn-
the spectators he would blow any color named
from his mouth In cload. This was done by hav-
ing six capsules concealed in his mouth, three In
either cheek. The six sp0onfuls OF sugar were
swallowed. When any color was called for he
would simply work the capsule containing that
kind TO the tip OF his tongue, break the capsule
with MS teeth, and pun the cOlOred powder into
the air To the amaZemelt OF the SpectalQrSn